Duration

Minimum 2 Years, up to a maximum of 5 Years

Duration

Duration refers to the minimum and maximum amounts of time in which this course can be completed. It will be affected by whether you choose to study full or part time, noting that some programs are only available part time.

When you study the Fast Track Bachelor of Nursing with the University of Tasmania in Sydney, you become part of a community that trains you to provide the highest quality health care in Australia and beyond.

Six full-time semesters across two years allow you to fast track your way into the workforce as a registered nurse.

You will study on our Darlinghurst campus, where you will be supported by a well-equipped simulated learning environment. During the course you'll also be given the opportunity to undertake work placements in both rural and metropolitan healthcare facilities. You will develop the knowledge and skills – and perhaps most importantly, the attitude – needed to offer the highest quality health care. You will learn the best practices for the provision of patient-centred care, safety and quality in practice, and research and evidence based practice in nursing.

The two year fast-track Bachelor of Nursing course is offered through the Darlinghurst campus in partnership with St Vincent’s Health Australia, the largest non-government, non-profit health care provider in Australia. St Vincent’s Health Australia recognise the value of nursing in health care delivery, and are committed to nursing education.

Bachelor of Nursing Fast Track courses are also offered at our Rozelle and Hobart campuses for eligible students. Please note the Fast Track courses are non-transferable.

Darlinghurst Campus – 1 Leichhardt Street, Darlinghurst NSW

The University of Tasmania's Darlinghurst campus is co-located on the site of St Vincent's Hospital, a premier teaching facility, Australia's second oldest hospital and a major public and principal referral hospital. They specialise in heart/lung transplantation, bone marrow transplantation, cardiology, cancer, HIV medicine, respiratory medicine, mental health as well as drug and alcohol services.

Students studying at the Darlinghurst campus have access to the St Vincent's Hospital Library, and IT services are available onsite at the University campus.

Demonstrate the consistent, effective and coherent application of consolidated, synthesised knowledge and skills to contextualised, complex, simulated and clinical situations

Demonstrate effective application of clinical reasoning through the consistent and coherent application of consolidated, synthesised knowledge and skills and a developing ability to assess, analyse, problem solve, adapt and act effectively in unpredictable and complex clinical situations

Demonstrate autonomy, initiative and well developed clinical judgement in diverse clinical situations.

Communicate effectively, drawing on an appropriate evidence base, in order to transmit knowledge, ideas and skills to others including patients, clients, residents and their families, peers and members of the health care team.

Demonstrate the ability to practice collaboratively and effectively as a member of the health care team.

During this course, you will participate in Professional Experience Placements (PEP). This work integrated learning approach enables students to practice skills, behaviours and knowledge in a workplace environment. The aim of PEP is to immerse students in a professional healthcare setting, to gain a better understanding of the roles of professionals within the health care system.

Our Darlinghurst campus partnership with St Vincent’s Health Australia mean you will be receiving the best work placements in world class healthcare and teaching facilities. Here, you will meet and learn from the health professionals who you will one day work beside.

"My highlight of studying at the University of Tasmania would definitely be the professional relationships that I’ve built with hospitals in Sydney while studying."

Career outcomes

The Bachelor of Nursing (Fast Track) helped me achieve my career goals by providing both theoretical and practical grounding in the nursing profession, enhanced by its cobranding with St Vincent’s Hospital

Angus Reid, alumni

On graduation, you will be eligible to apply for registration as a nurse, and ready to begin an exciting career. Nurses make up the largest health professional group in the world, and a nursing career offers varied opportunities in many healthcare settings and areas such as acute care, addiction, child and family health, community, emergency, mental health, midwifery, oncology – just to name a few.

For those who wish to specialise in a particular field, postgraduate study opportunities are also available.

Professional Recognition

As an accredited course, once you graduate from this program you will have the knowledge and practical skills to register as a nurse in Australia with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

If you are intending to apply for registration as a nurse in another country you must meet the requirements stipulated by nursing councils, licensing boards or colleges. Therefore, you should contact the registration authority in the county in which you wish to register to determine the requirements.

Course structure

The course structure is outlined in the Bachelor of Nursing Schedule B.

Modes of Delivery

Theoretical studies are held on site and on line at each campus and students undertake professional experience in health care centres, including rural and community, throughout Tasmania and NSW . Costs associated with travel, accommodation and uniforms are met by students. Please note that students are allocated to Professional Experience Placements subject to their availability and students may be required to travel and relocate.

Year 1

Semester 1

Professional and Discipline Studies in Nursing

This unit provides the opportunity for students to acquire foundational knowledge and skills relating to membership of nursing as both a discipline and a regulated profession. Throughout the unit students will be introduced to the academic skills relevant to first…

Foundations for Professional Practice 1

This unit will introduce students to the foundational communication skills required to participate as an effective therapeutic agent and collaborative member of the inter -professional person centred healthcare team. Students will develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be…

Health and Health Care in Australia

This unit introduces students to the various understandings of health and models of healthcare in contemporary Australia. Factors that determine and influence health and illness are explored. The experience of health and illness is considered in the context of individuals,…

Health Assessment 1

This unit introduces students to human growth and physical development, major body systems and health assessment across the lifespan. Approaches to health assessment will be introduced, with the integration of foundational anatomy and physiology. Students will begin to develop the…

Semester 2

Foundations for Professional Practice 2

This unit is designed to prepare students for entry into practice. Students will extend their understandings of ethico-legal reasoning, accountable practice and duty of care. Research and evidence based practice will be introduced as a foundation for person centred care…

Nursing Practice 1

This unit introduces and facilitates the development of the fundamental knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour required for undertaking safe practice in healthcare environments. It incorporates 80 hours of Professional Experience Placement (PEP) in a practice environment and highlights the importance…

Health Assessment 2

This unit builds on the key concepts introduced in CNA152: Health Assessment 1 with students continuing to develop their understanding of major body systems and health assessment across the lifespan. Approaches to health assessment will be further matured with the…

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health and Well Being

This unit explores how historical, cultural and social elements and policy frameworks have shaped the health and wellbeing of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. Cultural safety, self-determination and collaboration are central concepts within this unit. You will…

Responding to Diversity: Global Perspectives

Health service providers in Australia need to respond effectively to diverse populations. This unit will introduce to you the diversity of races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, genders and abilities in Australia. You will examine how belonging to a diverse group can…

Spring School (Extended)

Nursing Practice 2

This unit builds on the learning in Nursing Practice 1 and incorporates simulation based learning and 160 hours of Professional Experience Placement. The unit addresses the organisation of knowledge, skills and clinical reasoning which will support in-practice experience. The Practice…

Pharmacology and Medication Management

In this unit students will be introduced to pharmacology, scheduling and drug classification systems and essential information on pharmacokinetics and drug metabolism. Students will gain the knowledge and skills required to safely administer medications. Medication safety, the prevention of adverse…

Professional Practice 1

This unit introduces students to a selection of current national health priorities. Students are introduced to the concepts of contextual physiology and pathophysiology and nursing practice across primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. Students will continue to develop the capacity to…

Mental Health

The focus of this unit is on mental health and illness across the lifespan. A consumer-orientated approach to health care is emphasised throughout this unit to assist students to appreciate concepts that shape mental health practices including chronic condition self-management,…

Year 2

Semester 1

Professional Practice 2

The unit comprises three modules, each of which focuses on a specific area of health and incorporates contextual physiology, pathophysiology and nursing practice across primary, secondary and tertiary care. Current national health priorities in the areas of nutrition, musculoskeletal health…

Nursing Practice 3

This unit builds on the learning in Nursing Practice 2 and incorporates 160 hours of Professional Experience Placement. The unit is presented in a module format to support the in-practice experience with a focus on complex clinical encounters that challenge…

Professional Practice 3

The unit comprises four modules, each of which focuses on a specific area of health and incorporates contextual physiology, pathophysiology and nursing practice across primary, secondary and tertiary care. Current national health priorities in the areas of endocrine health/diabetes, renal…

Older Persons and Ageing populations

This unit introduces students to the complex topic of ageing from a person-centred perspective. It is divided into two key modules – 'Normal Ageing' and 'Ageing with ill-health'. The content of this unit will focus on healthy, positive ageing and…

Semester2

Developing Professional Nursing Practice

This unit builds on the learning from Nursing Practice 3 and incorporates 240 hours of Professional Experience Placement (PEP). The unit focuses on assisting the student to transition to professional practice as a Registered Nurse through assessment of their progress…

Improving Health and Nursing Practice through Translational Research

This unit reinforces the research content covered in previous semesters and has an explicit emphasis on the implementation of research in practice. Qualitative, quantitative and mixed method research, research ethics and accessing and interpreting high level evidence are examined in…

Child, Youth and Family Health Care

This unit introduces students to fundamental concepts in the care of children, youth and their families in Australia. A variety of epidemiologic, sociocultural, political and developmental perspectives on child health will be explored. Opportunities are provided for considering how social…

Strengths Based Nursing & Healthcare

Strengths-based nursing and health care is an approach that guides health delivery for persons and families and is at the forefront of international health care reforms and nursing developments. This approach aims to optimise functioning and wellbeing, promote health and…

Spring School (Extended)

Becoming a Registered Nurse: Practice Consolidation

This unit focuses on becoming a Registered Nurse and is the capstone practice unit in which students consolidate understanding of what it means to think and act like a Registered Nurse. The unit requires students to synthesise knowledge and skills…

Professional Practice 4

The unit builds upon and consolidates learning undertaken in Professional Practice 1,2 & 3 and focuses on becoming a Registered Nurse and consolidating the ability to predict and respond reliably and appropriately in clinical practice situations. This unit utilises a…

Transition to Professional Practice

This unit is designed to prepare students for transition into professional practice as a newly graduated registered nurse. Clinical, shared and self-governance are addressed and students have the opportunity to integrate concepts of clinical supervision, preceptorship, collaboration, delegation, leadership and…

Practice Enhancement Streams

This unit provides the opportunity for students to optimise and enhance their professional practice. Students will select one of the following three streams:i) SpecialisationStudents who opt for the Specialisation stream will have the opportunity to explore aspects of a chosen…

If you’re a mature age student

Student Registration Requirements

All students enrolling in the Bachelor of Nursing (BN) program are required, under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009, to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia via the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Students who do not meet registration criteria and are refused registration by the Board, or who have their registration rescinded during the program, will be withdrawn from the course.

Safety in Practice Compliance

All students enrolling in College of Health and Medicine programs which include a professional experience placement component, laboratory and/or field activity are required to establish and maintain their capacity to practice safely via Safety in Practice Requirements documentation.

The University of Tasmania offers a comprehensive Postgraduate Nursing Program, including options in Specialisation, Leadership, and a Transition to Practice course for recently graduated Nurses.

Fees & scholarships

Domestic students

Domestic students enrolled in a full fee paying place are charged the Student Services and Amenities Fee but this fee is incorporated in the fees you pay for each unit you enrol in. Full fee paying domestic students do not have to make any additional SSAF payments.

Domestic students enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place will be charged a fee based on the number of units a student enrols in. In 2019, this fee is $44.70 per unit. In 2019, the maximum charge for full time students is $298.